The British Film Industry 30 questions

1. 15% of the global box office British film was responsible for.
2. 6.8% claimed in 2009.
3.This change indicates that Britain is rising up the ladder of film production and becoming more popular.
4. Harry Potter, Skyfall and The Kings Speech are mainly responsible for this rise in percentage.
5. 7% of all British films make a profit.
6. 17% of Hollywood films make a profit
7.13% difference between £2m and £10m films
8.We could infer that a movies profitability increases with the amount of money that is put into it.
9. Teenagers make up the largest percentage.
10. Most films are aimed at teenagers making them the largest audience.
11. 3D Films have seen a 18% drop...
12. ... with big family films seeing the biggest fall.
13. Charles Gant says that families need to economise and 3D films don't let families do that.
14.Paul Greengrass is a British Film director.
15.Paul Greengrass described the British Film Industry as a "Success Story".
16. The BFI says that smaller, low budget films are for "skills and training development and for artistic and cultural importance".
17. 'Filth' had a budget of £1.8m and made £4m
18. James McAvoy says that £100m movies have an advantage in the way that they can sell the film more via advertising.
19.VOD stands for 'Video on Demand'.
20. VOD market increased by 50% last year.
21.VOD will have an impact on distributors and studios by allowing smaller films with lower budgets to reach a larger audience like A Field in England.
22.VOD has had a massive impact on Blockbuster rental stores, causing them to go bankrupt and close all remaining stores.
23. 'A Field in England' distributed on all platforms at the same time (Cinema, DVD/Blu Ray, VOD and in an actual field in England).
24.'The Machine' director Caradog James says that the hardest thing about making a film is making it reach an audience.
25. Widening the Cultural Test puts Britain on a level playing field with the rest of Europe, allowing for more competition.
26. The use of visual effects has been pushed so that British Effects companies can benefit morefrom every film made.
27.

• Film set in the UK
  The Worlds End- Yes
  The Kings Speech- Yes
  Kill List-Yes
• Lead characters British citizens or residents
  The Worlds End-Yes
  The Kings Speech- Yes
  Kill List- Yes
• Film based on British subject matter or underlying material
  The Worlds End- Yes
  The Kings Speech- Yes
  Kill List- Yes
• Original dialogue recorded mainly in English language
  The Worlds End- Yes
  The Kings Speech- Yes
  Kill List- Yes
• Represents/reflects diverse British culture, heritage or creativity
  The Worlds End- Yes
  The Kings Speech- Yes
  Kill List- Yes

 28. George Osbourne has given the British Film Industry a tax break.
29. Skyfall is the highest grossing film in UK history.
30. It took £94.3m and showed on 587 scenes.

“Media production is dominated by global institutions, which sell their products and services to national audiences” To what extent do you agree with this statement?

Topic- UK and US Films
Aspect- Production
Viewpoint- Dominated
Instruction- To what extent?

What do I need to know to answer the question?
Patterns of Production, Distribution, Exchange and Consumption- Using own experiences (Dredd, Star Trek Into Darkness and Kill List)
Distribution and Marketing Strategies
Need to know about The Big Six (and how they could be seen to dominate the industry)
20th Century Fox
Paramount
Warner Bros
Columbia
Universal
Walt Disney
Budget comparisons- Small Budget to Large Blockbuster
Kill List- £500,000
Star Trek Into Darkness- $190,000,000 
Gross to date-
Kill List-$26,297 (10 Screens) (Possibly better than Star Trek- Critically)
Star Trek Into Darkness- $228,756,232 (3,868 Screen- Well received among casual/mainstream audiences, cult audiences not so much)
Showing that money really does bring people into the cinema 
Some examples money on the screen are mentioned below:
The opening part- Panning down on the trees (All hand painted- Small budget would have to be CGI- Not looking good), CGI Monster ("You just stunned our ride!") 
Spaceship Jump/ Fight Scene- A lot of CGI! Also stunt doubles (Another cost) that British films wouldn't be able to afford
Big space battles (Khan VS Starfleet)
Kill List Special Effects/Visual Effects-
Muzzle Flash (All the way through the movie)
Dead Animals
Very basic!
Cameras Used-
Star Trek- IMAX Cameras and 3D Cameras
Kill List- Basic Cameras (Nothing flashy so it keeps the realism

British Film Companies and examples of their work

Screen Yorkshire- Who are they?
Screen Yorkshire is a Regional Screen Agency. SY aims to spread culture and film making across Yorkshire. There are nine of these agencies across the UK, one for each region.
Examples of their work-
Tyrannosaur (2011)

Kill List (2011) 

The Damned United (2009)
This Is England (2006)

Film 4- Who are they?
Film 4 Productions is a British film production company owned by Channel Four Television Corporation. They normally back films that are made in the UK or that have UK origins.

Examples of their work-
12 Years a Slave (2013)
127 Hours (2010)
A Field In England (2013)
Attack the Block (2011)
The Inbetweeners Movie (2011)

Warp Films- Who are they?
Warp Films are a film company based in Sheffield and London. 

Examples of their work-
Kill List (2011)
Tyrannosaur (2011)
Submarine (2011)
Four Lions (2010)

 

Studio Canal- Who are they?
Studio Canal is a French based production company. It owns the third largest film library in the world. Owned mostly by Vivendi and Universal Studios.

Examples of their work-
Alan Partridge- Alpha Papa (2013)
Rush (2013)
Evil Dead (2013)
Cockneys VS Zombies (2012)
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)
 

Recap- Why did Dredd fail at the box office?

After looking at the feedback from Mr Smith I now know to improve the structure of my answer evidence.
I need to focus on my Key Words which I can find on Mr Smith's blog. I need to replace words like 'Nerd' and 'Geek' with words such as 'Movie Buff' and/or 'Cult Audience'.
I also need to focus on what success actually is. Is it financial or is it critical?  
My use of examples such as Mark Kermode were good but I need to be more in depth and also incorporate the 2D VS 3D into that section.
 

Why did Dredd fail at the Box Office-Revision.docx

Editing Techniques

Editing Techniques

Continuity EditingVideo showing continuity editing in V for Vendetta 

Jump Cut

Video that was used in class

Credits
Goodfellas Opening Credits (0.00-0.30)

Cross Cutting
Inception- Van Sequence

Cutaways
A Fistfull of Dollars

Freeze Frame
Goodfellas- 'It was outta respect'

Eyeline Match
Rear Window- Caught Snooping

Flashback
The Bourne Ultimatum (0.55 to End)

Graphic Match
Psycho-Shower Scene (2.12 Plug Hole- Eye)

Juxtaposition
Reservoir Dogs- Stuck in the middle with you
Linear Narrative
Most Movies- I've picked Iron Man 3

Montage Editing
Team America (Comedic but still showing the passing of time in a montage)

Parallel Editing
The Godfather- Christening Scene

Visual Effects
Various Films (Montage)

Match on Action
Bringing up Baby (Lighting the Cigarette)

American Beauty Scene Analysis

American Beauty.docx by Harry Abbott

Why did Dredd fail at the box office?

Dredd- Media Homework by Harry Abbott

Media Studies-GHD Advert

Pacific Rim-Analysis Infographic

Pacific Rim-Analysis

| Create infographics

Denotations and Connotations

 For each logo I will be answering these questions-

1. Identify each sign (denotation).
2. What does it stand for? (connotation)
3. Does it have more than one meaning?
4. Which groups of people can/cannot read it? e.g. because of age, geography etc

1. An Apple
2. The logo stands for the company Apple who created the Mac, iPod and iPad.

3. It can have a different meaning for people of a different age or geography (4)

4. People of an age which technology is all the same would not understand this logo. For example anyone under 7. Also the older generation may have an idea of what it is but wouldn't be able to get it straight away.Places where technology is limited (E.g Africa) would probably not be able to recognise this logo.

 

1. Two arrows pointing upwards
2. The Citroen badge (Car Manufacturer)

3. I don't think this logo would have more than one meaning. If you didn't know what it meant, you wouldn't be able to get it confused with anything else.

4. I think any child over 10 would be able to recognise this logo. I think this would carry on until old age where memory isn't as good as it was once before. It is pretty well known all the way round the world. You would have to go to a far out to find some where that didn't know this logo.

1. A circle with an arrow pointing North-East

2. The Male Gender symbol
3. The sign doesn't have more than one meaning as it is a Universal symbol that is recognised around the world.

4. I think young children that have not started school yet would have trouble recognising the symbol but as it is basic and taught universally.

1. An M

2. The McDonalds (Fast Food Chain) logo

3. I don't think that this logo has two meanings and if you don't recognise it, you just won't know it. There could be a tenuous link for people saying it's just an M but that doesn't happen much.

4. I think that children that do not visit McDonalds would not know the logo but would know that its popular because of the constant stream of adverts that are shown on TV.  

1. An odd symbol with a cross through it.

2. It means do not iron. It can be found on some peices of clothing.

3. I think that this symbol is so odd that it cannot be confused with any other one. It is also because it is not a common symbol. 

4. I think anyone that washes clothes or maybe people that make clothes.

1. A circle with a cross through it. 

2. No entry or no use.

3. This is a universally used as a No Entry sign. I don't think this could be confused with anything else.

4. I think anyone that has traveled in a car, over the age of 8, would be able to recognise what this sign was. In some countries the No Entry sign meaning that they won't understand this.

1. A line separating a pictures of a woman and a man.

2. The sign for public toilets. If you followed this sign then it would lead to the two separate toilets.

3. I don't think anyone could get this mixed up with anything.

4. I think people from a very young age would be able to recognise this symbol. This is the same all over the world.

1. A pair of lips with a tongue sticking out.

2. This is the logo for The Rolling Stones (Band)

3. This is a widely used logo that can be found on a lot of clothing. The logo doesn't always come with the 'The Rolling Stones' name so could be easily mistaken for something else.

4. I think this could be widely recognised in all places that have access to music. I think the earliest you could recognise it is probably about 11. It all depends on how exposed to music you are, and at what age.

1. 5 interlinking, multicolored, rings.

2. The Olympics rings.

3. You cannot confused this logo with any other one. It was made to be like that so it stayed iconic and un-forgettable.

4. I think that everyone from a very young age would be able to recognise this symbol.

 

1.?
2.?

3.?
4.?

1.?
2.?
3.?

4.?

1. A rectangle split into 4 portions and then split again diagonally.

2. The Union Flag (Union Jack when at Sea)
3. You could get this confused with another flag if you were not from the UK.

4.I think all people in the UK recognise this flag from a very early age even if they can't name it. If they are not from the UK they are likely to know it, but not everyone will.

1. Interlinking, overlapping triangles.

2.The Star of David (Jewish Symbol)

3. I think people could get confused about this Symbol. If it doesn't really mean anything to them they could easily mistake it for a simple star.

4. I think people of the Jewish faith would know this from a very young age, maybe 5. Some people may never really know the symbol, or what it stands for. A large percentage of the world are Jewish or at least follow Judaism so a lot will know this symbol.

 

1. A pair of scales.

2. The sign often symbolises the court system to show fairness.

3. This symbol could mean different things to different people through the way that is used. For example, it could be showing where some scales are located in a shop.

4. I think people would be able to recognise this in one for or another. They would probably know the proper meaning from about 14.

Media Studies TV Homework- The Walking Dead

Media Studies TV Portion- The Walking Dead

The Hobbit- Media Homework

The Hobbit- Media Homework (Changed) by Harry Abbott

Films I saw during the Summer

Kick Ass 2-
 I wanted to go and see the film ever since the cliff hanger at the end of the first film. I'd also read the Graphic Novel so I really wanted to see it. I also knew it had a good director (Jeff Wadlow) so I was keen to see it. I thought the film was great... But put the film next to the first one and you could really see the difference. The first film included great music and it was a good solid story. The second films music was really lack luster and the story was really slow in some parts, e.g. Hit Girl's troubled teenage years. The first time I saw it I was constantly distracted by a person on her phone next to me. The second time however I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I really enjoyed the film but it could have been better by a stronger story and better music choice. 

Monsters Uni-
I love Pixar. So as soon as I saw that the prequel was coming out and I automatically knew I was going. The trailer was really good and didnt reveal any main parts in the story so you could still enjoy it in the cinema. I loved the film as I thought I would. The music was great, the story was great, everything about it was perfect. Some people did not like the film because they thought it just copied Monster Inc but if you look past that fatc, it is a great prequel! Prequels are never normally good but when you have such loveable characters as
Mike and Sully, you can't complain. I loved the film and think others would enjoy it even if they have never seen a Pixar before.

Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa-

The jump from small screen to big screen doesn't work for many TV shows. For example Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Alan Partridge does not fall into this category. Alpha Papa is a well written, well rounded film with good music and acting. I went to see the film because I was a massive fan of the TV Series and I also wanted to see how it was altered for the big screen as occasionally in the series the episodes could drop near the end. The film did suffer from a slight drop towards the middle but if definitely picks up with some classic British wit and comedy gold. The atmosphere in the cinema was great. The were a lot of fathers with their sons trying to show them what real comedy is. Everyone was laughing and it was just great. I loved the film and would recommend it to anyone that loves comedy! 





5X5- Bands, Films, Video Games, Comics and TV Shows

5X5 5 Bands-
Avenged Sevenfold- Mix of melodic tones and heavy riffs.
Metallica- Mix of slow and heavy songs that create a really easy listening band.
Van Halen- Classic extravagant Rock with a passionate front man and a talented lead guitarist.
Deadmau5- Easy listening house music that can really set a tone.
Daft Punk- Veteran Electronic music makers can still create a chilled out music for anytime.



5X5 Films-
The Green Mile- A satisfying end to an incredible story.
The Shawshank Redemption- An amazing film which can easily turn anyone into a crying wreck!
Toy Story- Great classic for any day of the week.
The Dark Knight- With dedicated actors and a well written script Nolan's second film in the trilogy is by far the best.
Inception- Possibly the best Nolan film ever made, bar Momento, that can get you really engulfed in the world and offer a twist ending that still seems to satisfy.


5X5 Video Games-
Batman: Arkham City- Possibly the best Video Game I have ever played that can still satisfy a gaming need.
Battlefield 3- An intense shooter which really involves you in the action.
The Walking Dead: The Video Game- An incredible story that can reduce anyone to tears.
Assassins Creed: Brotherhood- An amazing period game that makes you feel like you can do anything.
Hitman: Absolution- This game makes you think about the way you kill to remain quiet. Because the run and gun approach isn't recommended it can be a challenging game. 

5X5 Comics-
The Walking Dead- A gripping read which you won't want to wait another month for the next one.
Batman- The whole Batman series is great at the moment with amazing story arcs such as Year Zero and Death of the Family.
Talon- Talon has strong story and is written really well. Always leaves you on a cliffhanger.
Invincible- The classic superhero story with a big twist.
Justice League- The best superhero group ever to be created with a great roster.


5X5 TV Shows-
I'm Alan Partridge- A hilarious story of a failing DJ.
The Walking Dead- A  zombie show which you have to fear the living more than the dead.
The Big Bang Theory- A comedy about 4 nerds in a flat. There is nothing more to say really...
How I Met Your Mother- The story of how Ted met his wife...
Under The Dome- A small town is encased in a dome. Like The Simpsons... but real.